David Henneberry, who found Boston Marathon bomber, dies

The everyday hero who discovered the Boston Marathon bomber hiding in a boat in his backyard has died. He was 70.

David Henneberry, who brought the manhunt that gripped a nation to an end with his 911 call, died of cancer on Wednesday at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Though Henneberry long downplayed his quick thinking in alerting police as the normal response of a concerned citizen, his actions on April 19, 2013 played a pivotal role in the events of that unforgettable day.

It was four days after two homemade bombs had ripped through the crowds at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds.

David Henneberry, who brought the manhunt that gripped a nation to an end with his 911 call, died of cancer on Wednesday. He is seen in 2013 with wife Beth, who preceded him in death

Three were killed and more than 260 others wounded when two bombs planted near the Boston Marathon finish line exploded on April 15, 2013, spraying shrapnel into the crowds

Shootout: This is the suburban shootout in which Tamerlan Tsarnaev killed and his brother and fellow bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev managed to escape in a stolen car

Police had killed Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a fierce shootout in suburban Watertown on April 18, but his brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev escaped with injuries, running over Tamerlan’s body in a stolen car as he fled.

A massive manhunt unfolded, with residents under orders to stay inside as thousands of police supported by helicopters and armored tactical vehicles swarmed 20 blocks of the normally quiet Boston suburb.

After a full day of fruitless searching, the shelter-in-place order was lifted on the evening of April 19, and Henneberry noticed the winter tarp had fallen out of place on the boat in his backyard.

He went out back to fix it, and as he was securing the tarp he noticed blood, and saw a figure hunched inside the boat, The Slipaway II.

Henneberry rushed inside and exclaimed to his wife Beth: ‘He’s in the boat! He’s in our boat!’

Henneberry had stepped outside his home (pictured) shortly after the stay-inside order had been lifted, when he noticed something amiss with his boat

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hiding inside the boat, The Slipaway II, still alive despite his injuries. He is seen here surrendering after a manhunt and tense standoff that gripped the nation

The retired technician called 911 immediately and explained what he’d seen.

‘I have a boat in my yard,’ he told the operator. ‘There’s blood all over the inside. There’s a person in the boat.’